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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · rash · land · lean · chair · pass · stock · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rash — hasty
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. land — ground
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rash — a series
  11. cap — a lid
  12. land — a country
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. land — to come down
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. lean — thin
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. lean — to rest against

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com